Last updated
Chapter 25 · Lesson 25.1 · Verb
Verb – Luso middle singular
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The morphology of sg Luso middle
- The aspectual value of Luso
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| τὸ κατάλυμα, -ατος | the guest room | noun | B.a.γ.i(a) |
| ἡ ἀστραπή, -ῆς | the lightning | noun | B.a.α.i |
| ἡ φάτνη, -ης | the manger | noun | B.a.α.i |
| τὸ κλῆμα, -ατος | the branch | noun | B.a.γ.i(a) |
| ἀληθινός, -ή, -όν | true (word) | adjective | A.a.α |
| ἐπαύριον | next day | phrase |
MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Luso middle singular
- There are two classes of Luso verbs:
- σ class: add σ to the present med-psv form (e.g. πορεύσομαι); σ may contract (e.g. εὔχ-σ-ομαι → εὔξομαι; see 10.2.3.1)
- Thematic class: add present med-psv endings to the Aorist stem (e.g. ἔφαγον || φάγ-ομαι)
- Some Luso mids, including the thematic class, are future deponents – there is no corresponding Luso act form
| (pres + σ + middle) | |
|---|---|
| 1st person singular | πορεύ-σ-ομαι |
| 2nd person singular | πορεύ-σ-ῃ |
| 3rd person singular | πορεύ-σ-εται |
| Luo | Luso | Luo | Luso | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | φεύγω | φεύξομαι | 12 | βούλομαι | βουλήσομαι |
| 2 | ἐνδύω | ἐνδύσομαι | 13 | προσεύχομαι | προσεύξομαι |
| 3 | πορεύομαι | πορεύσομαι | 14 | ῥύομαι | ῥύσομαι |
Table 215 (continued)
| Luo | Luso | Luo | Luso | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | γεύομαι | γεύσομαι | 15 | θαυμάζω | θαυμάσομαι |
| 5 | ἅπτομαι | ἅψομαι | 16 | ἐμβλέπω | ἐμβλέψομαι |
| 6 | ἐργάζομαι | ἐργῶμαι | 17 | χαρίζομαι | χαρίσομαι |
| 7 | παύω | παύσομαι | 18 | καθίζω | καθίσομαι |
| 8 | εὔχομαι | εὔξομαι | 19 | κόπτω | κόψομαι |
| 9 | δέχομαι | δέξομαι | 20 | ἐκδέχομαι | ἐκδέξομαι |
| 10 | διαπορεύομαι | διαπορεύσομαι | 21 | ᾄδω | ᾄσομαι |
| 11 | ἐκλέγομαι | ἐκλέξομαι |
| (aor + middle) | |
|---|---|
| 1st person | φάγ-ομαι |
| 2nd person | φάγ-ῃ/φάγ-εσαι |
| 3rd person | φάγ-εται |
| Aorist | Future | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ἔφαγον | φάγομαι |
| 2 | ἔπεσον | πεσοῦμαι |
| 3 | ἔπιον | πίομαι |
| 4 | ἔδραμον | δραμοῦμαι |
| 5 | ἔπαθον | παθοῦμαι |
SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Luso (2 – Future state without endpoint)
Verb – Luso: all 3 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 26.1, Lesson 27.3
The σ in the Luso and Elusa forms is probably originally the same morpheme which encoded perfective aspect. We have already said that Elusa is a perfective form, since it requires the end of the event to be included in the time that is being talked about, the reference time. Because Luso also has σ, can we say the same thing about the future, that it too is perfective? Despite the morphology, Luso is not perfective. There are many instances where a state referred to by the Luso form simply holds and does not have an endpoint, which is what we would expect from a true perfective form:
τότε δύο ἔσονται ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ (Matt 24:40)
Then two will be in the field
There is no natural endpoint to this state, so it is not a perfective. Of course, we know that these two hypothetical people will not be in the field forever (and the next clause states that one will be taken and the other left), but this is not specified in the clause itself.
Why would the σ of the future not indicate perfective aspect while the σ of the Aorist does? Simply put, language changes. The σ may have originally indicated perfective aspect, and the future interpretation was just one use, but this use eventually became the meaning that was encoded in the form. As a result, the perfective meaning underwent the opposite change–it became only one interpretation of a form that encoded future tense. This kind of language change is very normal, and it demonstrates the dangers of using etymology, the history of a form’s meaning, to determine the meaning of a form at the time of use.
Check your understanding
Become a fluent reader of the biblical languages
Biblingo is the only language-learning app (mobile and web) that provides everything you need to go from zero knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, and Latin to reading the Bible in its original and historic languages — all in one place.
New Testament text shown on hover: Greek from the SBLGNT, © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0; English from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain).